Police: Homeowner Shoots Burglar Climbing Out Of Window

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade police detectives searched for clues to what investigators said appears to be a case of a homeowner protecting her property.

Police said the 54-year-old woman who owns this home in Northwest Miami-Dade, just south of 79th street near I-95, got word that her alarm was going off Thursday evening.

She rushed home to check things out and police say she was armed.

"She observed a subject leaving the home through the rear," said MDPD Det. Dan Ferrin.

Miami-Dade police said there was a confrontation, shots were fired and a 17-year-old black teenager was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police said they were on scene seconds after the shooting and gave CPR to the teen.

There's much investigators could not tell CBS4 – like how the teen got in the home, whether anything was taken and whether the homeowner has been victimized before. CBS4 did learn that police said the homeowner is cooperating with detectives and was taken to a police station for questioning.

"She's a person that is a little distraught because this is her home that someone obviously was in," Ferrin said.

A couple of people showed up on scene and a woman told reporters they were family members of the teen who died. They did not want to answer questions, however.

Investigators said they're still trying to sort all of this out and want the public to remember that if possible it's best not to take these types of situations into your own hands.

"If there's any type of situation that happen or they believe there's a burglary at the home or any type of confrontation, dial 911. Have the police make that confrontation," Ferrin said. "That's what we're here for."

Ferrin said that representatives from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office were on scene and that prosecutors will decide whether any charges should be filed.

At this point, no one involved in this deadly shooting has been identified.